Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

Analyzing Service Barriers for Trafficked Persons in the Context of the U.S. Refugee Program: Strategies to Improve Service Delivery and Program Management

Hoa Duong et al. — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:31:46 PST

Research Question: The goal of this research study is to examine the specific barriers and needs of refugees and trafficked persons in the context of federal benefits and programs. The study asks the following questions:
• Are there differences in the needs of refugees and trafficked persons?
• What services exist for both groups and are there gaps in service delivery?
• How can program management within ATIP help improve service delivery?

Findings: The research study’s main findings indicate that although refugees and trafficked persons are similar in many ways, the latter have unique ongoing needs that require a more targeted approach.

Human Trafficking Webliography

Anchalee (Joy) Panigabutra-Roberts — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:30:27 PST

4 adoption, 8 advertisement 4 advocates 3 africa 12 against 6 america 4 american 5 and 10 anthropology, 3 anti-trafficking 19 anti-trafficking-network 6 anti-trafficking, 10 arrest 5 asia 16 asian 13 attorney 5 baby 5 Bangkok 4 Burma 4 business 4 california, 5 canada 7 canada, 7 center 9 Center, 4 child 19 children 22 children, 3 china 7 CNN 5 coalition 4 colorado 4 combat 4 conference 15 congress 3 crime 8 data 14 database 6 Dept. 3 director 3 documentary 5 domestic 8 economy 3 europe 11 European 3 experts 50 fbi, 4 federal-agencies 5 for 11 forced 5 global 11 government 9 Harvard 4 health 5 history 5 HIV/AIDS 4 hq 13 human 53 human-trafficking 41 HumanTrafficking 4 illegal 6 ILO 6 immigrants 13 immigration 11 in 5 india 5 information 7 international 32 international-agencies 7 iom, 3 issues 3 italy 3 janie 3 justice 4 Justice, 5 labor 26 labors 4 latin 5 law 13 law, 11 laws 3 legal 3 legislation 4 Library 3 Los-Angeles 5 malaysia 4 medical 3 mekong 3 middle-east 8 migration 10 minnesota 4 Minnesota, 9 national 4 nebraska 5 nebraska, 3 nepal 3 network 5 new 5 New-York 11 news 10 newspaper, 13 ngos 69 Nigerians 4 NIJ 3 north 3 OAS 3 oclc 11 of 30 Office 4 on 6 online 6 organization 5 organized 6 organized-crime 4 Pacific 4 pdf 3 persons 4 police 4 policies 4 policy 7 project 11 prostitution 19 prostitution, 8 public 7 publication 3 refugees 7 report 9 reports 19 research 20 review 11 review, 6 rights 22 rights, 6 ring 4 safety 3 San 3 Seattle 4 services 10 services, 3 sex 32 sex-trafficking 21 sex-workers 4 sexual 3 slavery 7 social 4 sociology 3 source 3 south 4 southeast 3 star 6 state 11 state-level, 3 state-reports 9 states 3 statistics 4 studies 6 Studies, 3 survey 3 switzerland 3 task 4 thailand 8 thailand, 11 the 3 to 5 trade 4 trafficked 6 trafficking 62 trafficking, 28 tribune 5 U.N. 10 u.s. 37 u.s., 3 UC 4 UK 3 unesco, 5 united 5 university 14 UNODC 4 victims 6 videos 6 violence 5 Washington 11 Washington-D.C. 13 web 9 women 37 women, 6 women's 6 work 6 workers

Examining U.S. Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking and Slavery

Committee on the Judiciary - United States Senate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:14 PST

This Subcommittee is expressly chartered to oversee both constitutional and civil rights issues across America. Just last month, for example, the Subcommittee examined the pervasive problem of hostility to religious expression in public squares across America, and I think the hearing was beneficial regardless of whether you perceive there to be a problem or not.

Today’s hearing will examine U.S. efforts to combat human trafficking and slavery across America. As we continue to fight to protect the American way of life in our war against terrorism, we have also been fighting another war to protect American ideals and principles, a war against an old evil—human trafficking and slavery.

Alien Smuggling/Human Trafficking: Sending a Meaningful Message of Deterrence

Committee on the Judiciary - United States Senate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:01:03 PST

As we all know, people from all over the world want to come to America to pursue a better life for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, however, some people entrust their lives to some very dangerous people in the effort to gain our shores. I have been told that the business of trafficking human beings is about a $9– 1/2 billion business.

Human Trafficking: Mail Order Bride Abuses

Committee on Foreign Relations - United States Senate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:57:46 PST

Today we will be hearing from three panels on the issues surrounding international marriage brokers, so-called mail order brides, and the links that can be made to human trafficking. I am please to welcome my colleague and friend, who will soon appear, Senator Maria Cantwell from the great State of Washington, to be our first panel. Senator Cantwell has seen abuses against mail order brides occur in her own State and has authored the International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act. Her passion for protecting women trapped in such abusive and dangerous relationships is to be commended.

2009 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:48:56 PST

The Department of State is required by law to submit each year to the U.S. Congress a report on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This is the ninth annual TIP Report; it seeks to increase global awareness of the human trafficking phenomenon by shedding new light on various facets of the problem and highlighting shared and individual efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective action against all forms of trafficking in persons.

The United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), as amended, guides efforts to combat human trafficking. The most recent amendments to the TVPA were enacted in December 2008. The purpose of the law is to punish traffickers, protect victims, and prevent trafficking from occurring. Freeing victims from this form of modern-day slavery is the ultimate goal of this report—and of the U.S. Government’s anti-human trafficking policy.

2007 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:43:04 PST

The Department of State is required by law to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the seventh annual TIP Report. It is intended to raise global awareness, to highlight efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons.

The U.S. law that guides anti-human trafficking efforts, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), states that the purpose of combating human trafficking is to punish traffickers, to protect victims, and to prevent trafficking from occurring. Freeing those trapped in slave-like conditions is the ultimate goal of this Report—and of the U.S. government’s anti-human trafficking policy.

2006 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:27:21 PST

The Department of State is required by law to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the sixth annual TIP Report. It is intended to raise global awareness, to highlight the growing efforts of the international community to combat human trafficking, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons. The Report has increasingly focused the efforts of a growing community of nations on sharing information and partnering in new and important ways.

A country that fails to make significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons, per U.S. law, receives a “Tier 3” assessment in this Report. Such an assessment could trigger the withholding of non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance from the United States to that country.

2005 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:22:48 PST

The Department of State is required by law to submit a report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the fifth annual TIP Report.

This Report is intended to raise global awareness and spur foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons — a form of modern-day slavery. The Report has increasingly focused the efforts of a growing community of nations to share information and to partner in new and important ways to fight human trafficking. A country that fails to take significant actions to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons receives a negative “Tier 3” assessment in this Report. Such an assessment could trigger the withholding of non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance from the United States to that country.

2004 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:17:11 PST

The State Department is required by law to submit a report each year to the Congress on foreign government efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This June 2004 report is the fourth annual TIP Report. Although country actions to end human trafficking are its focus, the report also tells the painful stories of the victims of human trafficking—21st century slaves. This report uses the term “trafficking in persons” which is used in U.S. law and around the world, and that term encompasses slave-trading and modern-day slavery in all its forms.

2003 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:53:08 PST

AS unimaginable as it seems, slavery and bondage still persist in the early twenty-first century. Millions of people around the world still suffer in silence in slave-like situations of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation from which they cannot free themselves. Trafficking in persons is one of the greatest human rights challenges of our time. It is, as the International Labour Organization (ILO) points out, the “underside of globalization.”

2002 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:46:53 PST

Over the past year, at least 700,000, and possibly as many as four million men women and children worldwide were bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like conditions. In this modern form of slavery, known as “trafficking in persons,” traffickers use threats, intimidation and violence to force victims to engage in sex acts or to labor under conditions comparable to slavery for the traffickers’ financial gain. Women, children and men are trafficked into the international sex trade for the purposes of prostitution, sex tourism and other commercial sexual services and into forced labor situations in sweatshops, construction sites and agricultural settings. The practice may take other forms as well, including the abduction of children and their conscription into government forces or rebel armies, the sale of women and children into domestic servitude, and the use of children as street beggars and camel jockeys.

2000 Trafficking in Persons Report

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:43:57 PST

Trafficking in persons is a fundamental and crucially important challenge in the areas of human rights and law enforcement. Based on reliable estimates, as the Congress has noted, at least 700,000 persons, especially women and children, are trafficked each year across international borders. Some observers estimate that the number may be significantly higher. Victims are forced to toil in sweatshops, construction sites, brothels, and fields. Deprived of the enjoyment of their human rights, many victims are subjected to threats against their person and family, violence, horrific living conditions, and dangerous workplaces. Some victims have answered advertisements believing that they will have a good job awaiting them in a new country. Others have been sold into this modern-day form of slavery by a relative, acquaintance, or family friend. Trafficking occurs across borders and within countries. It is found in both developed and developing nations, in countries where the government abuses human rights, and in countries where the government’s human rights record is generally excellent.

Department of State - Global Affairs

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:40:46 PST

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) is pleased to announce a two-stage competitive process for 2010 funding of projects that will improve the response to trafficking in persons outside the United States. The first stage is submission and competitive panel review of two-page Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that combat human trafficking. In the second stage, G/TIP will invite applicants whose Statements of Interest are reviewed favorably to submit proposals that expand on their SOI. These proposals will also be reviewed by a panel for consideration of funding. This announcement initiates the first stage, and G/TIP is now requesting applicants to submit a Statement of Interest, as described in this solicitation. U.S.-based non-profit and nongovernmental organizations (NGO), public international organizations (PIO), foreign NGOs, and institutions of higher education are encouraged to apply by submitting a Statement of Interest. Pending appropriations, G/TIP anticipates awarding grants of up to $750,000 per project.

Rights, Protections and Resources Pamphlet (2009)

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:38:54 PST

If you are coming to the United States to work or study, we are confident that you will have a pleasant and rewarding stay. If you should encounter any problems, however, know that you have rights and can get help. The pamphlet linked below informs you of your rights as a non-immigrant visa holder in certain employment- and education-based categories (specifically A-3, G-5, NATO-7, B-1 domestic employees, H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, and J-1 visa holders). The U.S. Government created this pamphlet at the prompting of a new U.S. law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (Public Law 110-457), which reaffirms and strengthens the U.S. Government’s commitment to fight human trafficking and labor abuses in all their forms.

The Link Between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking

U.S. Department of State — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:37:26 PST

The U.S. Government adopted a strong position against legalized prostitution in a December 2002 National Security Presidential Directive based on evidence that prostitution is inherently harmful and dehumanizing, and fuels trafficking in persons, a form of modern-day slavery.

Prostitution and related activities—including pimping and patronizing or maintaining brothels—fuel the growth of modern-day slavery by providing a façade behind which traffickers for sexual exploitation operate.

Trafficking and Sex Tourism FAQs

U.S. Department of Justice — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:31:29 PST

Trafficking and Sex Tourism FAQs.

Legal Options to Stop Human Trafficking

U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:29:06 PST

This is the first time in the history of the Senate that we have created a Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. I think it’s crucial at this point in time. Repressive regimes that violate human rights create fertile breeding for terrorism, war, poverty, and exploitation. Our Nation and our world will never be fully secure as long as fundamental human rights are not honored. Our first hearing was just last month. We addressed the issue of genocide and the rule of law, focusing on the mass killings and genocide in Darfur. I’m proud to say that, as a result of that hearing, we’ve introduced bipartisan legislation to promote divestment in Sudan and to expand the reach of U.S. law so that we can prosecute non-U.S. nationals who are in this country for crimes of genocide they committed abroad. We will continue to try to make this a Subcommittee that focuses on legislation, not just lamentations. Today we’re going to take up a topic which may be as old as mankind. From the beginning of time there has been evidence of exploitation and slavery. We haven’t been spared in our generation. At today’s hearing, we will consider the issue of human trafficking. Few issues in the world today raise as many human rights implications as this insidious practice. It’s estimated that one million people are trafficked across international borders each year, pressed into labor, servitude, or commercial sex by the use of force, fraud, and coercion. Human trafficking represents commerce in human misery. As an introduction to today’s hearing, I would like to show a very brief video on human trafficking. It begins with a short public service announcement put together by the United Nations to help raise awareness of the issue. The second part of the video is an interview with a trafficking victim from Cambodia. The purpose of these videos is to put a human face on the issue that we will talk about today.

Characteristics of Chinese Human Smugglers

U.S. Department of Justice — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:22:48 PST

This study explored the inner workings of Chinese human smuggling organizations by going right to the source— smugglers themselves. Through field observations and face-to-face interviews in both the United States and China, researchers found that most human smugglers in this study were otherwise ordinary citizens. Their social networks provide the necessary connections and resources to conduct a profitable trade in arranging transportation for people who want to leave China illegally.

Trafficking in Persons: The U.S. and International Response

Francis T. Miko — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:20:58 PST

Trafficking in people for prostitution and forced labor is one of the most prolific areas of international criminal activity and is of significant concern to the United States and the international community. The overwhelming majority of those trafficked are women and children. According to the most recent Department of State estimates, between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year. If trafficking within countries is included in the total world figures, official U.S. estimates are that 2 to 4 million people are trafficked annually. However, there are even higher estimates, ranging from 4 to 27 million for total numbers of forced or bonded laborers. As many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked to the United States each year. Human trafficking is now considered a leading source of profits for organized crime, together with drugs and weapons, generating billions of dollars. Trafficking in persons affects virtually every country in the world. Traffickers exploit poverty, war, natural or man-made disasters, and ignorance.